St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-17

|
out in the channel. AS | pulled as
straight across the river as the swift
current would allow, Zeb dropped the
| jugs overheard some ten feet apart.
| When our jugs were all deployed we
| took up our position in the rear and
centre of our skirmish-line of stone
ware hobs, and drifted with the current
| down stream.
Presently skirmisher number two, on
the left of the line, commenced acting in
a most peculiar and unsoldier-like man
ner; after bobbing his head under water,
| first on one side and then on the other,
{ and taking one or two preliminary and
undignitied summersaults, he started on
the double quick in a straight line up
stream When we had headed the skiff
to our rear in pursuit of the runaway, [
was astonished to find that this proven
bially lazy darby, whose own brother
described as TOO lazy to turn over in his
sleep" was not only an enthusiastic and
energetic fisherman, but with his splendid
physique and long arms he pulled
stroke to gladden. the heart of any college
crew. After lively chase we captured
the animated Jug and found its motive
power to have been underground cat
fish AS soon as we could get our jug
and cat' safely aboard we hurried back
to the skirmish line again to find that
another jug had deserted, skedaddled and
disappeared entirely.
Il golly, guess dat ar jug must dun got
a whale on dis year time fob suah," re-
marked Zeb, as we rested on our oars and
scanned the rivers surface for the lost
jug. "Dah he!' he added, pointing out
our missing float, as it came bObblng up
serenelv some ten rods ahead Of our line
of battle we pulled pretty lively for it,
but before we reached the spot 1t had
again disappeared. | asked Zeb II he
didn't think it probable that we had
caught an alligator on that jug. "The
Lawd, dere must be suntin big on dat ar
hook; but whatever it war, we hadent
dun cotched it yet"
The next time our skirmisher appeared
we came up to it, Zeb unshipped his oars,
and bent over the side Of the boat, but be-
fore he could reach it down went the jug,
andI poked it, trying to catch the string
on my oar as it passed under our skitf.
Look a here, you black bunch OF
bones the next time that jug comes to
the top of the water you hang on to your
oars, and IN do the catching"
The chase was becoming exciting and
l was catching the Juggling mania, II
nothing else Whatever it was on that
hook was getting tired for the jug bobbed
UP almost Immediately not far from us.
Zeb pulled, I hastily unshipped my oars,
rolled up my shirt sleeve, got good grip
on the gunwale and leaned out to grasp
the Jugs handle as we passed; 1t was
pretty long reach, but caught it; the
Jerk was awful sudden and good deal
heavier than | expected. Whether the
"blatk bunch of bones" retaliated by
backing his oars just at that minute |
don't know, but I do know that there
was a big whir in the water and over
board | went, heels over head, into the
muddy Mississippi In doing so l
must have performed an evolution SINH
lar to what boys in my day used to call
"skinning tie cat" for somehow | man
aged to hang on to both the gunwale and
the jug handle. l did not quite upset
the skiff, but came near enough to it TO
brighten poor Zeb pretty badly. for, as |
afterward learned, he did not know how
to swim.
After considerable splash, splutter and
excitement Zeb got a hitch on the jug
line and helped me into the boat; then